feral cat

I'd be interested to know if it's legal or not and in what states... I don't have a problem with shooting them, and at some point, something has to be done with them. Didn't @Big Fin do a story or something about hunting feral cats awhile back?
 
I believe it is legal in Iowa as long as the cat is a certain distance from a house or farm. I don't shoot them myself so I dont know exactly what the regs say.
 
Birds sprinkled with .....

hwyeqA0.jpg
 
Last edited:
Best I can determine, and I am not much good at research. Fish and game don't have a lot to do with it. Probably because they are not native. At least what I can find with Google. I'm sure there is a "catch all" law somewhere the fish and game can use if they feel the need. As long as no one is feeding them, they are considered feral. Although there is no direct law associated with shooting nuisance feral cats on your property, it seems that other local laws can be used against you. But it also seems most law enforcement agencies don't want to bother with it unless a private individual wants to push it.
I have no problem with posting pictures of them. Much like feral pigs or any other such critter. But it may bring unwanted attention your way.
 
I think you'd be hard pressed to find any laws agaisnt shooting pests, especially on private land unless some local ordinance against discharge of weapons.

Most states in the west have laws that allow for the taking of feral animals, or animals at large that harrass or kill native wildlife. I think feral cats fall into that.

I have a dear friend from High School who lives in San Fanscico that volunteers for a feral cat rescue organization that brings them in and does neutering/spaying and then releases them. I can't fathom that. Sure it's humane, but once you get them, just euthanize them and save native songbirds.
 
Lets go through an effort to capture and remove this biological agent causing harm to the environment, then put it back into environment to continue to cause harm. The mental hoops people jump through to justify not euthanizing a feral cat is truly unreal.
 
Last edited:
Most states in the west have laws that allow for the taking of feral animals, or animals at large that harrass or kill native wildlife. I think feral cats fall into that.

I have a dear friend from High School who lives in San Fanscico that volunteers for a feral cat rescue organization that brings them in and does neutering/spaying and then releases them. I can't fathom that. Sure it's humane, but once you get them, just euthanize them and save native songbirds.
My wife manages the local shelter. That program is consistently our biggest fight. I've debated talking our local sportsman's group into suing her shelter, but I prefer to stay married.
 
I used to try and accept them. We had several hanging around our place that weren’t really causing any issues so I let them live. Eventually our pet cat got his ass whipped and had to have some vet work done and it cost me some $$$. Since then I’ve shot more cats than I would have ever dreamed. It seems like there is a constant flow of them....shoot two get three new ones that show up. It’s crazy!
 
We call them "Field Lions"

'nuff said about what we do when we see them

PS. In her younger days, my yellow lab would chase them out of a crop row and grab them by the neck, crush it, then drop the cat and walk away with her head held high. I love that dog!
 
I used to try and accept them. We had several hanging around our place that weren’t really causing any issues so I let them live. Eventually our pet cat got his ass whipped and had to have some vet work done and it cost me some $$$. Since then I’ve shot more cats than I would have ever dreamed. It seems like there is a constant flow of them....shoot two get three new ones that show up. It’s crazy!

Male Cats are territorial. I've watched the semi-wild ones around here, Suburbs, for decades. One dies and a new one moves into its territory. I'm watching two lately that are contesting my back yard/Garden. Of course, my three Terriers are actually the masters there. If they can catch it, it is dead. Cats have their place, Rodent control. My Walnut tree drops a cubic yard of nuts most years, my yard is a Rodent smorgasbord.

I've shot a few, those that trespass into a local bird refuge, those that wander more than a quarter of a mile from home (legal here): I've put a few down that were obviously seriously sick.

The thing about semi-wild Cats is they are vectors for some nasty parasites and they crap in the kids sandbox and/or infect the Dogs (many dogs consider Cat crap a delicacy :) ). Echinococcus multilocularis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinococcus_multilocularis
 
Male Cats are territorial. I've watched the semi-wild ones around here, Suburbs, for decades. One dies and a new one moves into its territory. I'm watching two lately that are contesting my back yard/Garden. Of course, my three Terriers are actually the masters there. If they can catch it, it is dead. Cats have their place, Rodent control. My Walnut tree drops a cubic yard of nuts most years, my yard is a Rodent smorgasbord.

I've shot a few, those that trespass into a local bird refuge, those that wander more than a quarter of a mile from home (legal here): I've put a few down that were obviously seriously sick.

The thing about semi-wild Cats is they are vectors for some nasty parasites and they crap in the kids sandbox and/or infect the Dogs (many dogs consider Cat crap a delicacy :) ). Echinococcus multilocularis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinococcus_multilocularis

That was the biggest issue when our cat got beat up. He got infected as hell and had to have all kinds of prescriptions.
 
Shoot, shovel, shut up. I'm not going to shoot somebody's pet. Though a quick death is a sure way of population control. If you are going to do it, make it quick and merciful, IMO.

I do some pest control for the city on occasion. Rabbits like the lawn in the cemetery, Fox like the Rabbits in the cemetery. Fox are diggers and six feet is nothing for a busy Fox. Some people feed the Fox, they enjoy watching them. But at some point, you have to be practical. Nobody wants some busy Fox digging up Grandma. :)
 

Forum statistics

Threads
113,671
Messages
2,029,143
Members
36,278
Latest member
votzemt
Back
Top